As Main Street continues to expand and take on new projects that link its presence with the university, one of its most prominent vendors is taking on a venture of its own. The Soda City Market, located next door to the Marriott hotel, launched a bookstore this fall that will showcase the best that USC Press has to offer.
Emile DeFelice, owner of the Soda City Market and the Nest bookstore, started as a vendor for the all-local farmers market 10 years ago. Back then, he was one of roughly six vendors.
“The typical market has 80 to 100 vendors,” DeFelice said. “It takes a while to grow, not only the number of vendors, but the number of people out there making something or doing something.”
DeFelice, who came to Columbia 23 years ago to study International Politics at USC, has come a long way in building up Soda City. That shop, along with the bookstore, could not have existed as they are today without the opportune business climate.
“I don’t think this store could have existed ten years ago … It certainly could not have existed on Main Street,” DeFelice said. “There are a lot of folks now who make things, I think, in part because the recession kicked in and they had to dig deep within themselves and find new talents and daylight old ones. So I got in here and I thought ‘we’re gonna feature cool things that South Carolinians make.’”
DeFelice seems excited about the growth of local talent. He designates his shop to the artists, craftsmen and authors, with the authors being just the latest addition to his portrait of local Columbia artisans.
“A friend of mine came in here and said ‘I wrote a book, can I sell it in there?’ I said of course you can, that’s great. I really hadn’t thought about that. Somebody later that same day told me that there are only two bookstores left in Columbia. They’re both national, chain-type things,” DeFelice said.
DeFelice is not yet comfortable calling the Nest the designated Main-Street-style bookstore, but the shop is making strides in showcasing culture in the heart of the state’s capital.
It is clear that the Nest is hosting South Carolina-focused books, and likely has many written by your very own professors. But rather than extracting the dry lecture hall and putting it on a shelf, the Nest’s “First Thursday on Main” book signings aim to reflect your professors in their tweed-jacket, cocktail party affairs.
“It’s more of a cocktail party atmosphere, not a stuffy lecture or anything like that. So people stand around talking and learning, but people like fun,” DeFelice said. “It’s a great opportunity to showcase these authors. People come pouring in here not only to buy the books but to talk with smart people who write good books.”
The student market for Soda City has been very nice according to DeFelice. The students haven’t had quite the same interest in the bookstore thus far, but he is optimistic that the First Thursday book signings and the market on Saturday mornings will continue to draw interest.
DeFelice sees his shop playing a crucial role on Main Street as its location connects two crucial ends of cultural life in Columbia. If Soda City and the Nest can string together the two disjointed ends, the possibilities are endless for the burgeoning area.
“Honestly, it’s pretty cool on this block because between Drip, the Hub and the Nest it’s the bridge between the other major activity on either end of Main Street. Before we got here, First Thursday would sort of stop here, but now, since there’s stuff happening on this block it can continue and go on to the next block,” DeFelice said. “It’s a good little community. It’s growing faster than any of us anticipated.”